Zombies Resurge When Society Unhappy...

In the popular TV
series "The Walking Dead," humans struggle to escape from a pack of
zombies hungry for flesh. Prank alerts have warned of a zombie
apocalypse on radio stations in a handful of states. And across the
country, zombie wannabes in tattered clothes occasionally fill local
parks, gurgling moans of the undead.

Are these just unhealthy
obsessions with death and decay? To Clemson University professor Sarah
Lauro, the phenomenon isn't harmful or a random fad, but part of a
historical trend that mirrors a level of cultural dissatisfaction and
economic upheaval.

Lauro, who teaches English at Clemson, studied
zombies while working on her doctoral degree at the University of
California at Davis. Lauro said she keeps track of zombie movies,
television shows and video games, but her research focuses primarily on
the concept of the "zombie walk," a mass gathering of people who,
dressed in the clothes and makeup of the undead, stagger about and
dance.

It's a fascination that, for Lauro, a self-described "chicken," seems unnatural. Disinterested in violent movies
or games, Lauro said she finds herself now taking part in both in an
attempt to further understand what makes zombie-lovers tick.

"I hate violence," she said. "I can't stand gore. So it's a labor, but I do it."

The
zombie mob originated in 2003 in Toronto, Lauro said, and popularity
escalated dramatically in the United States in 2005, alongside a rise in
dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq.

"It was a way that the
population was getting to exercise the fact that they felt like they
hadn't been listened to by the Bush administration," Lauro said. "Nobody
really wanted that war, and yet we were going to war anyway."

The
mid- to late 2000s also saw an uptick in overall zombie popularity,
perhaps prompted in part by the release of post-apocalyptic movies including "Dawn of the Dead" and "28 Days Later."

As
of last year, Lauro said, zombie walks had been documented in 20
countries. The largest gathering drew more than 4,000 participants at
the New Jersey Zombie Walk in Asbury Park, N.J., in October 2010,
according to Guinness World Records.

"We are more interested in
the zombie at times when as a culture we feel disempowered," Lauro said.
"And the facts are there that, when we are experiencing economic
crises, the vast population is feeling disempowered. ... Either playing
dead themselves ... or watching a show like 'Walking Dead' provides a
great variety of outlets for people."

But, Lauro pointed out, the display of dissatisfaction isn't always a conscious expression of that feeling of frustration.

If you were to ask the participants, I don't think that all of them are
very cognizant of what they're saying when they put on the zombie makeup
and participate," she said. "To me, it's such an obvious allegory. We
feel like, in one way, we're dead."

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Indianapolis police say a mother is accused of feeding her child a toxic homemade concoction in an attempt to "cure" the child's autism. FOX 59 reports that the woman's husband claims his wife put drops of hydrochloric acid and a water purifying solution containing chlorine into their child's beverage. The woman reportedly referred to the mixture as a "miracle mineral solution" and said she found the recipe on a Facebook group page.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Indianapolis police say a mother is accused of feeding her child a toxic homemade concoction in an attempt to "cure" the child's autism. FOX 59 reports that the woman's husband claims his wife put drops of hydrochloric acid and a water purifying solution containing chlorine into their child's beverage. The woman reportedly referred to the mixture as a "miracle mineral solution" and said she found the recipe on a Facebook group page.

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WELLINGTON, Fla. - A Florida woman was arrested Thursday after deputies said she drove intoxicated with a child sitting above an open case of beer tucked in the back seat. The Palm Beach Post reports that a deputy pulled over 30-year-old Stephanie Roque of Miami about 11 a.m. after she made a complete stop in her SUV in the center of a lane. The deputy said that Roque’s drivers license was suspended, and noticed she had a strong smell of alcohol coming from her car.

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SWITZERLAND - When it comes to cooking fresh lobster, the Swiss are now siding with the seafood. A law goes into effect March 1 banning the common cooking method of tossing a live lobster into a pot of boiling water, quickly killing the crustacean. According to USA Today, the practice is being outlawed because the Swiss say lobsters can sense pain. It's the first national legislation of its kind in the world that calls for a more humane

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A fire alarm that was sounded during a Florida high school shooting this week added to the chaos of the day. When a fire alarm goes off, students typically flee the building. During active shooter situations, they hunker down in classrooms. Both scenarios occurred in Florida, creating a dilemma for students and staff. Emergency responders say there is no single accepted set of best practices for responding to active shooter situations, and the pr...

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ORLANDO, Fla. - Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toy box will come to life at Wald Disney World in Florida this summer. Disney confirmed Friday that their upcoming Toy Story Land will officially open to guests on June 30. Located at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the 11-acre land will include two new attractions and a new entrance to the existing Toy Story Mania attraction. Guests will 'shrink' down to the size of toys while riding the new Slinky Dog

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PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) - The Latest on the Pyeongchang Olympics (all times local): 1:15 p.m. Pyeongchang Olympics organizers say a Korean man in his 50s has died in one of the media villages at the games. Organizing committee spokesman Sung Baik-you says the manwas working for a consortium of Japanese broadcasters during the games. The man was not responsive when he was found in his room by a co-worker. Sung says police were called and the Korea...

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NEW YORK (AP) - It doesn't take much to slow down the New York subway system. On Friday afternoon, one bundle of fur stopped train service on a transit line between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Officer George Tsourovakas (tsoo-roh-VAH'-kahs) says a poodle named Dakota got away from a Brooklyn park run near the Manhattan Bridge and dashed into the York Street station, making it to the tracks of the F train and running southbound on the northbound tracks. To spare the animal...

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PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say the former student accused of fatally shooting 17 people at a Florida high school had excelled at marksmanship in the school's air-rifle program, which received a grant from the National Rifle Association Foundation. The NRA Foundation gave nearly $2.2 million to schools across 30 states as of 2016, the latest year in which its federal tax filings are publicly available. The money was used by the gun group to support youth shooting clubs and other